Bubg-lar peoof safe



(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. STOGKWELL.

I BURGLAR PROOF SAFE.

Patented Oct. 2, 1883.

INVENTOR By his flttarne a N PETERS. Flww'lnhogmphcr. Washlnmcm D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMORY STOCIUVELL, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE YALE & TOVVNE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OE SAME PLACE.

BURGLAR-PROOF SAFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,088, dated October 2, 1883. Application filed April 14, 1883. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, EMORY SrooKwELL, of

the town of Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safes,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention is principally designed as an improvement in burglar-proof safes, but is useful for a high class of fire-proof safes.

[o Burglar-proof safes, as now most commonly constructed, consist of a series of metal plates of iron and steel, or other hard and soft metals, which are bolted together in various methods. Many weaknesses occur in this method of manufacture, owing to the fact that in large plates it is almost impossible to have perfect bearing-surfaccs throughout, and equally difficult to harden large plates, so that when the large plates, which are usually of iron, are bolted to the plates consisting of steel and iron, the iron plates cannot be drawn. down so close to the steel and iron plates as to come in absolute contact throughout. Now, the steel and iron plates are necessarily, or at least usually, made 2 5 narrow, so that in a safe of considerable size it is built up of a great number of plates, which of course necessitates agreat number of j oints. These safes, therefore, being made of a large number of separate pieces bolted together, al-

0 low of various modes of attack which depend on the gradual destruction of portions of the safe at one time. The different layers of the safe, notbeing in close contact through out, may be attacked by means of drawing the temper 3 5 of the hard plates by any convenient application of heat, and then by drillingahole through the plate from which the temper has been drawn. After one plate has been overcome the next one can be attacked in turn until a 0 hole is made completely through the safe. After the hole is through it is obviously a I matter of afew moments to shatter the safe by means of an explosive introducedinto the inside through the hole. But the most serious weakness of this class of safes arises from the most recent method of attacking safes-namely, by the explosion of any powerful, quick eX- plosive-such as nitro-glycerine, or, any of its compounds-against the outside of the safe.

The effect of such an explosion on the outside of a safe is not only to break thebolts with which the explosive is immediately in contact, but italso causes the door or wall of the safe to spring or bulge inward with great force.

As will be readily perceived, the effect of this 5 5 spring of the plates is to cause every plate to move sidewise with reference to every other plate and to snap off the bolts which hold them together; The final result, therefore, is to separate all the plates from each other, the bolts being broken, and this being so the door or wall of the safe will simply fall to pieces.

To avoid some of the difficulties of the builtup safes, as above stated, various styles of safes have been made, some of them of cast or 6 chilled metal, and some of them of cast metal surrounding a basket-work of wrought metal. The weakness of safes made entirely of hard cast metal is that by repeated blows this metal might be broken up, so that it will fall apart in pieces. Even where a wrought-iron basket work is inserted in the metal, the cast portion may be broken into pieces and fall away, and thus leave only the wrought-iron basket-work as a protection.

Generally stated, my improvement consists in a solid safe of cast drill-proof material protected throughout its entire outside and inside surface by a soft and tough metal armor. This armor, both inside and out, is preferably to be fused into one piece with the drill-proof portion of the safe, so that when completed the safe will be one solid piece of metal with a soft and tough exterior and interior, and a hard drill-proof middle.

To construct one of my improved safes the inside armor is first cast, and this armor is then placed on the inside of the core which is used to cast the outside armor, the core being made of the proper size to provide for the de- 0 sired thickness of hard drill-proof metal between the inside and outside armor. The outside armor is then cast around the inside armor and the core removed. Both the inside and outside armor are then mallcableized, so 5 as to be of the required degree of ductility. Then the inside armor is held in the desired relation to the outside, so as to be at the proper esaoss distance from it at all points, and the hard drill-proof metal is poured in between the is a horizontal section of the same, showing a metal armor between the said soft-metal parts,

door in place and closed. I A indicates an inside soft-metal armor, B an outside soft-metal armor, and C a body of hardor it may be fire-proof material. The number of layers or strata of alternate hard and soft bodies of armor may be varied at will;

but a good safe can be made by using three layers, A, B, and C.

D indicates studs, which may be used, if desired, to secure the hard and soft armor together.

In Fig. 2 is shown in section an inside safe or cash-box, composed of the hard-metal armor E and the inside soft-metal armor, F, cast in one with the safe-body and in a similar way.

A shelf, S, is shown in Fig. 1 as cast in one piece with the inside soft-metal armor, A. There may be more shelves, or vertical partitions may be formed in this way integral with the safe itself, and contributing directly tovits strength and invulnerability. An extra outside soft armor, G, is provided in front of the cash-box, and H indicates a place for boltwork.

K indicates the soft-metal edges of the doors L and M, which are cast in one piece with the outside and inside soft armor of the respect ive outside and inside doors.

In preparing the hard drill-proof metal for casting it is best to have a considerable surplus over the amount actually required to fill the space it is to occupy in the safe-wall, and also to pour it with a head and an overflow. The object of having a surplus of metal is that the molten metal may be kept running through the safe until the sides of the inside and outside armor next to the molten metal shall become fused with it. \Vhen this point is reached, the flow is stopped and the metal allowed to cool, when, as above stated, the safe will be one solid mass of metal, with soft and tough exterior and interior and hard and drill-proof middle. If preferred, the outside and inside armor may be cast with studs 0r bolts pro-- jecting into the hard metal, as shown in the drawings. The object of this is to make, if possible, a more perfect connection between the armor and the hard metal. In cases where studs are used, the drill-proof metal may be poured without a head or overflow, because, even if no fusion takes place, the armor and the drill-proof metal will be firmly attached by means of the studs.

i It will be observed that by this construction all the weaknessesof the safes above set forth are completely avoided. It will be impossible to attack this safe by drilling, because the temper of the interior cannot be drawn. Nor

this invention.

will explosives have any effect upon it, because there are no parts of the safe which can be broken apart, and even if the door or walls should be sprung enough to crack the interior it would be held in place by the inside and outside armor, and would be practically as secure as before.

In constructing the door I preferably make it with thin armor all around its edges of the same material as the front and baokthat is, the door is practically a box of soft and tough material, filled with a hard drill-proof material, so that the inside armor is attached to the outside armor, and cannot be peeled off from the drill-proof metal. The advantage of this is, when the bolt -work is attached to the interior or the door. it is held on by the strength of both the inside and outside armor and cannot possibly be detached from the door.

The surface of the jamb will consist of the edges of the inside and outside armor, and also of the drill-proof middle. The shape of the door is immaterial so far as this invention is concerned; but whatevermay be its shape, the door and jamb will be ground so accurately that there will be an air-tight fit between them, so asto prevent the introduction of an explosive, and also so as to obviate the necessity of the ordinary packing, which can be readily destroyed.

The form of the safe is also immaterial to It may be cast with great facility in any form desired, which gives it another great advantage over safes built up from plates. To avoid injurious strains in the safes,

due to the contraction of the metal in cooling,

I would preferably make the corners rounding, and also make the sides and the door of the safe slightly rounding. This construction will not only avoid initial strains, due to the contraction of the metal, but will also give the greatest strength where it is most needed to resist the attacks of burglars.

A further great advantage of this construction is that the inside boxes for the safe, com monly known as cash-boxes, may be cast in one piece with the inside armor, and also the shelves on the inside of the safe may be cast in one piece with the inside armor. This construction will give immense strength and stiffness to the whole construction, making it practically one solid block of metal.

In the drawings no bolt-work is shown, because the form of bolt-work is not material to this invention, any kind desired being equally. applicable. Nor do I show any spindle passing through the door, as that is also immaterial to this invention. A convenient method of introducing a spindle would be by casting a spindle-sleeve in connection with the inside and outside armor, in the method set forth in my application for a United States Patent No. 86,424, filed complete February 27, 1883.

The construction above shown is applicable assess 3 to fire-proof safes of a high grade of excellence by constructing the inside and outside armor in the method above'described, and then fill-.

together. I am also aware that it is not new to unite two plates of metal by means of studs or pins secured into one plate and projecting into the mold into which is to be cast the other plate, forming it round the studs or pins. I am also aware that it is not new to form the walls of safes and of safe-doors of alternative layers of wrought metal and of cast metal, the cast-metal layers being joined either with or without fusing to the wrought metal. I am also aware that it is not new to cast a safe body or shell of a single piece of metal; and I do not claim any of these things per 80.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Asafe composed of an inside and outside armor of ductile cast metal, with a hard drillproof metal cast between them, substantially as described.

2. Adoor for a safe, composed of a surroundins'ideof hard cast metal, substantially as described.

3. A safe composed of inside and outside armor of ductile cast metal, with hard cast metal between them, and with one 01' more inside chests, said chest orchests being cast in one piece with the inside armor of the safe, substantially as described.

4. A safe composed of inside and outside armor of ductile cast metal, with hard cast metal between them, with one or more shelves cast in one piece with the inside armor, sub stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st day of March, A. D. 1883. i

EMORY STOOKIVELL.

Vitnesses:

SGH'UYLER MERRITT, Gno. E. Wnrrn.

mg wall or box of ductile cast metal, with an 

